Jason grew up in the Chicago suburbs and has been a Chicago sports fan since watching John Paxson hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the 1993 NBA Finals. He has written about the NBA for SB Nation, FanSided and FanRag Sports. He is a contributor to BetChicago with a Chicago Bulls/NBA focus.

The NBA community lost a titan when Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant tragically died along with his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others in a helicopter crash in Calabasas on Sunday. The world has been grieving the loss of Kobe, who inspired so many during his 41 years on Earth.
Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine is among those who idolized Bryant, acknowledging Monday the Lakers legend [was one of the reasons he chose to wear No. 8](https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/1221852936051003392). Kobe was the Michael Jordan of LaVine's generation, the player so many wanted to emulate, as "Be Like Mike" turned into "Mamba Mentality."
It's no secret Kobe spent his career chasing MJ. Bryant came up short in the rings department and wasn't quite on Jordan's level, but he's the closest there will ever be to His Airness when considering the on-court style, killer instinct, fiery competitiveness and relentless drive.
The Bulls honored Kobe in The House That Jordan Built on Monday night when they faced the San Antonio Spurs:
<a href="https://twitter.com/rob_schaef/status/1221922336972197888" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/rob_schaef/status/1221922336972197888</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/1221925402647695365" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/KCJHoop/status/1221925402647695365</a>
<a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1222011926441578496" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1222011926441578496</a>
To start the game, the Bulls took an 8-second violation before the Spurs took a 24-second violation. "Kobe" chants broke out across the United Center:
<a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSBulls/status/1221964690944937984" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/NBCSBulls/status/1221964690944937984</a>
Fittingly, LaVine gave the Bulls a 110-109 victory with a pair of clutch free throws with 2.1 seconds left. DeMar DeRozan missed a freebie with 0.2 seconds remaining that would have sent the game to overtime.
Kobe's career began as Chicago was winning its last two titles of the Jordan era, and there are a number of Bulls-related moments worth revisiting as we remember Kobe Bean Bryant.
### Kobe's first showdowns with MJ
In Kobe's first matchup against Jordan, the rookie Bryant had just five points off the bench in a 129-123 Bulls victory in overtime on Dec. 17, 1996. Later that season, Bryant again scored five points off the bench, though this time the Lakers earned a 106-90 victory in Los Angeles. It was one of just 13 losses for the Bulls in that 1996-97 regular season.
The next year, we got a legitimate Kobe vs. Jordan showdown. On Dec. 17, 1997, Bryant poured in 33 points in 29 minutes off the bench, nearly matching MJ's game-high 36 points. While the Bulls won in blowout fashion, it was a sign of things to come for Kobe:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29LWlJ1tEqM" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29LWlJ1tEqM</a>
This was only the beginning.
### Kobe vs. MJ at 1998 All-Star Game
As Jordan's Bulls career was coming to a close in 1998, Kobe was busy making the first of 18 All-Star Games. In that All-Star matchup, Bryant was eager to prove something against his idol.
Via Bulls.com's [Sam Smith:](https://www.nba.com/bulls/features/remembering-kobe-bryant-1978-2020)
> In his first All-Star game so much for seniority. Anxious to challenge Jordan in an era when the games were seriously contested, Bryant opened the game waving Karl Malone out of the post so he could go at Jordan. The other All-Stars were furious. Who was this kid! Kobe Bryant.
>
MJ won All-Star MVP honors that night with 23 points and eight assists, but Kobe was impressive in his own right with a team-high 18 points:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRAs5Ju3j7k" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRAs5Ju3j7k</a>
You could consider this a passing of the torch.
### Kobe scores 55 points after MJ trash talk
While this happened when Jordan was with the Washington Wizards, I'm going to count it anyway because it's more Kobe vs. MJ goodness.
[As Gilbert Arenas tells it](https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2852062-gilbert-arenas-michael-jordan-told-kobe-bryant-hed-never-fill-his-shoes-in-03), during the 2002-03 season Jordan told Kobe, who was wearing Jordan 8s at the time, that he could never truly fill those shoes.
The 24-year-old Kobe allegedly stewed over this diss for weeks before a rematch. He then dumped 42 first-half points on MJ and the Wizards before finishing with 55:
<a href="https://twitter.com/balldontstop/status/1168328121218584576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1168328121218584576&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2852062-gilbert-arenas-michael-jordan-told-kobe-bryant-hed-never-fill-his-shoes-in-03" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/balldontstop/status/1168328121218584576?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1168328121218584576&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fbleacherreport.com%2Farticles%2F2852062-gilbert-arenas-michael-jordan-told-kobe-bryant-hed-never-fill-his-shoes-in-03</a>
This story is exactly why Kobe is viewed in a similar light as Jordan.
As a bonus, here's Kobe and MJ trading trash talk at the 2003 All-Star Game, Jordan's last All-Star appearance:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SOFTlUoHck" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SOFTlUoHck</a>
### Kobe almost goes to the Bulls ... twice
Kobe and the Lakers three-peated from 2000-02, but his relationship with Shaquille O'Neal soon soured, leading to a breakup of the dynasty in 2004 in the midst of Bryant's legal troubles involving a criminal sexual assault case that was ultimately dropped later that year (a civil case was settled in 2005). O'Neal requested a trade and went to the Miami Heat, while Bryant wound up re-signing with the Lakers.
Kobe, however, also considered the Bulls and Clippers in free agency. John Paxson and Jerry Reinsdorf flew to California to meet with Bryant and made a good impression, [per K.C. Johnson](https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/kobe-bryant-idolized-michael-jordan-and-thus-always-respected-bulls) of NBC Sports Chicago:
> “We were looking at houses, we were looking at schools,” Bryant told the Chicago Tribune in December 2004. “We already were talking about a sign-and-trade.”
Bryant flirted with the Bulls again in 2007 when he demanded a trade and wanted to go to Chicago. There were rumblings that the Bulls didn't want to include Luol Deng in a trade and that nuked a deal, but Kobe supposedly only wanted to go to Chicago if Deng stayed. Whatever the case, Bryant remained with the Lakers and won two more championships.
What could have been if Kobe came to Chicago instead?
### Kobe vs. D-Rose on Christmas Day 2011
The 2011 lockout delayed the start of the season until Christmas Day, and the holiday saw Derrick Rose's Bulls visit Kobe's Lakers for a Staples Center showdown. While the game was naturally ugly given the circumstances, both D-Rose and Kobe played well in a tightly-contested affair.
It came down to the wire as the Bulls made a late comeback, and Rose hit a tough floater with just under five seconds to play to take a one-point advantage:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxHl9JYm-IM" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxHl9JYm-IM</a>
On the other end, Kobe tried to take on basically the entire Bulls defense for the win:
<a href="https://twitter.com/CoachN_J_/status/1221819601924841472" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/CoachN_J_/status/1221819601924841472</a>
While he missed, the attempt was quintessential Kobe.
### Kobe's final game in Chicago
Kobe Bean Bryant played his final game in Chicago on Feb. 21, 2016. Making it even more special was the fact that former Lakers runningmate Pau Gasol played for the Bulls, and Gasol had the honor of announcing Kobe to the crowd:
<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJqVsITRhkU" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJqVsITRhkU</a>
Bryant scored 22 points on 8-of-20 shooting in the game, a 126-115 Bulls victory. It was truly a special night in Chicago:
<a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1221905155165163522" class="embedly-card" data-card-width="100%" data-card-controls="1">Embedded content: https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1221905155165163522</a>
Mamba out.

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